Syracuse has eliminated the word Carrier from its 2019 football media guide, including in this quote from former star Dwight Freeney.

Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said Wednesday there was no “rhyme or reason” and “no underlying story” behind the timing of the changes.

“There’s no rhyme or reason here,” Wildhack said. “No underlying story, per se. The name is still on the building. Again, we’re trying to use the language our fans use. Our fans refer to it as the Dome. We’re proud of it.”

Neither side has provided a substantial update on the state of those negotiations since.

Despite that background, Wildhack said the changes are simply an effort to use the verbiage that local fans use and there is no intent behind the removal.

“I think our fans, I’ve been coming to games forever, I’ve always referred to it as the Dome,” Wildhack said. “The name Carrier is on the outside of the building. There’s no intent.”

Wildhack offered similar sentiments in April, when the word “Carrier” was omitted from the school’s announcement regarding renovations, Wildhack said there was no intent to send a message to the company.

Syracuse has not referred to Carrier in any of the announcements regarding the building’s upcoming renovations since they were announced in 2016, but the removal of the name from nearly all new published athletic department materials happened quickly.

A Carrier spokeswoman said in an emailed statement last week that the company intended to contact Syracuse regarding the changes. Wildhack said on Wednesday that he had not been contacted. Carrier spokeswoman Ashley Barrie said in an e-mail that the company is “in contact” with SU leadership.

The agreement between the two sides was made in 1979 and is likely costing Syracuse more than $1 million in potential revenue annually.

While neither side has publicly released the exact wording of the contract, reports through the years have indicated that Carrier provided a $2.75 million naming gift in 1979, which provided the company the right to name the building “in perpetuity."

The Carrier Dome cost $26.85 million to build initially, and Carrier’s gift helped cover initial construction costs and get the stadium built.

The agreement is considered by many experts in the sports industry to be ground-breaking and is likely the first commercial naming rights agreement involving a college sports stadium. Traditionally, colleges have named buildings after prestigious alumni or major donors, with those names remaining for the lifetime of the building.